The Beginning of Something Wonderful (Rewrite)
by Phantom1968
Summary: Being the only survivor on a ship after a vicious attack is not what someone would have expected, or wanted. But, when a human is found on board such a ship by none other than Wolf O'Donnell, neither of them would've thought they would change each other's lives for the better. Rated M for language, violence, and for later chapters. Rule 63 Wolf x Human Male OC.
1. Prologue

**Alright everybody, I am officially back from my spiraling depression after my dog's death. Sorry for the very long wait, but I have read over this and to be honest, there were parts in it where I was like, "why?". So, I decided to do a complete rewrite with several changes to the storyline which I'm sure you'll notice.**

 **While there will be changes, and rather major ones at that, the plot will mostly be the same, but tweaked a bit to fit my dirty mind :)**

 **I hope y'all enjoy the revised version of _The Beginning of Something Wonderful_. ****Here's the prologue with an early introduction to my OC.**

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Prologue

 _Approximately 2.73 light years from Earth_...

It was another typical day in space for the crew of the USS _Einstein_. The ship was old, outdated, and way past favorable service for Earth's massive space fleet. It used to be a ship of high speed and maneuverability, and had numerous amounts of hard-hitting weaponry; now, it was a stripped down mining frigate/research vessel, tasked with exploring the unknown reaches of space beyond the Sol System for rare ores and minerals as well as searching for intelligent life, if there was any out there. Life aboard the _Einstein_ was not very exciting to most of its crew. The reason for this atmosphere on the ship was because it was very rare to find an asteroid stock full of precious ore and/or minerals, and not once have they found a planet capable of sustaining an intelligent alien species. But when they did manage to find a lone asteroid or an asteroid belt that was worthwhile to the crew, the ship would shudder and creak from the mass scrambling that was similar to the Black Tuesday and Friday shopping spree. Only one crew member found life on the _Einstein_ interesting and worth serving on.

His name was James Beckham Hayes, a twenty-five-year-old engineer who's also the son of a critically-acclaimed naval officer. However, his connection/relationship makes no difference to the higher-ranking staff as he is treated as a regular crew member. James was a tech wizard and a grease monkey, and was very good at his job, being able to fix anything on the ship that needed fixing. It might have been a dull job for him, but at least it kept him occupied both physically and mentally.

James wasn't really a social person, preferring the company of his tools and a reprogrammed EV-6S maintenance bot. He was a very reclusive person, avoiding interaction with everyone, even his own parents. Despite this, he had caught the eyes of many women back on Earth and on the _Einstein_ over the past eight years since high school, but ignored any and all of their attempts to gain his attention. James wasn't 'supermodel-level' attractive, but he did have a certain charismatic air around him that many women just couldn't resist. Blond-haired, silvery-blue-eyed, and a healthy build, both in body and appearance, James was the one desire for most of the girls on board and back home.

" _Attention all crew members,_ " the P.A. screeched loudly overhead above James's workspace, " _An asteroid containing high concentrations of nickel, iron, gold, copper, and zinc has been detected approximately three clicks bearing_ two-dash-five-dash-seven. _M_ _ining crews one through five report to the main hangar for departure. Repeat; mining crews one through five report to the main hangar for departure._ "

James turned to his work after the temporary distraction and continued welding a piece of split pipe back together. A squeaky warble came from his right and he looked at the disc with hanging, wiry appendages hovering next to him, its main front optic glowing a sapphire blue. "Don't worry, Tim. We won't be going out there anytime soon, okay?" Another warble and James cracked a small smile before going to welding the split pipe. "Yes, I know they can make me go out at any time, but they won't. They need me in here to keep the _Einstein_ shipshape."

 _Vrr-borp-beep! Woo,_ the bot shuddered. James snorted.

"So? If they don't like me, it's not my problem. Listen: just don't worry about it. Let's get back to work. I have a nice, cool bed waiting for me and I don't want to miss my nap."

 _Beep-beep! Worp-vrrt-ree-woo._

"Tell me about it," James said with a chuckle. Silence fell on the room; no sound save for the hissing and crackling of the plasma torch. Finally, after about two minutes, the pipe was sealed and the secondary oxygen system was restored. After checking to make sure there were no cracks or weakened areas or holes that might have made his work all for nothing, James packed up his equipment and slung the compact bag over his shoulder as he stood up. "Hey Tim. Play my personal top hits, would ya? The walk back to our abode is going to be boring."

 _Beep-boop-borp,_ the robot squeaked happily as he accessed his data banks and started the playlist. James hummed along with the song, passing by his coworkers toiling in the lower area of the _Einstein_. The song was upbeat; to James, at least, and was among his personal top ten list of hot rock songs. He had his own unique taste in a variety of songs, most of them from the late-20th century to the 21st century. Some people, including women if they hadn't fallen for him already, found him weird because of his music choice.

James stopped at a set of elevator doors, and he called the elevator down to his current floor. While he waited, he whistled the final chorus to his song before it finally ended. Then the doors opened, and James stepped in and pressed a button. The doors closed and the cabin jolted sharply before it smoothed out and took its only occupant to the crew quarter on Deck 03, about five levels up from the Sublevel Deck, where the veins of the _Einstein_ were. Some muzak played through the speakers above James, though it was blotted out by James's louder and faster-paced music. The cabin slowed and came to a stop. The doors opened with a _ding_ and James stepped and immediately hung a left to his personal quarters.

Room 203, James's private living space. He pulled out a keycard from his breast pocket and inserted it into the scanner. There was a second of silence, then a high-pitched beep and James removed the card and stepped inside, the doors opening and closing as he entered and cleared the doorway. The room itself was not very big, but it was better than sharing with five other people like most crew members did. At least there was one thing the captain granted because of his connection to his father. That and the fact that the captain and James's father were good friends.

James tossed the tool bag to the side before he stripped out of his work clothes, revealing a young, healthy, and slightly muscular body. Left in nothing but a pair of boxers and a white undershirt, James walked into the bathroom to wash up. Once finished with his shower, he put on a fresh pair of boxers and basketball shorts and climbed into his queen-sized bed. Tim zipped around the room until he came to a rest on his portable charger James smiled at the bot's puppy-like hyper-enthusiasm before he clapped his hands and the lights switched off. He rolled onto his side so that his back faced Tim, and closed his eyes. He soon succumbed to the need for sleep that plagued him and fell into a deep slumber, unaware that disaster lay ahead and awaited for him and the entire crew of the _Einstein._

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 **What'd ya think? Was it better, or worse? Please leave a review and a kind word that points out any mistakes I may have made. The songs that James listened to while making his way back to his room is 1) "State of My Head" by Shinedown, and 2) whatever rock song you can think of, just as long as it is not heavy metal.**

 **Also, this rewrite WILL contain sexual content in the future, so be prepared for some Grade-A smut!**

 **Phantom out.**


	2. Chapter 1: Discovery

**Hello, hello, hello! Welcome back everybody! Phantom here with another chapter out and ready for some loving...(if there is hating, please leave. I will not tolerate flamers). Chapter One will see a more detailed background to Cpt. Casey from the other version.**

 **As mentioned back in the prologue, I will be adding smut to this. I originally was gonna have a mini-sequel that had smut as well, and then the main sequel, but I decided it would be better to just make this one as dirty as my mind will allow me.**

 **Here's Chapter 1! Hope you enjoy! And many thanks to _ColonelStriker, Puzzlemaster1998, Victor John Foxfire, StahlTheAegis, TheInquisitor,_ _NecrorexSparda, Juubi-No-Kishin,_ and so on, for the support you've given me. Now, on with the chapter!**

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Chapter 1: Discovery

It's been five days; five days since the call went out; five days since the fleet was scrambled; and five days of searching in vain for suspected Venom activity on the edges of the Lylat System. Captain Casey, commander of the CMS _Acolyte_ , was also in charge of the CDF Third Fleet, which consisted mainly of twenty cruisers, twelve battleships, four carriers, and the _Acolyte_ as flagship. The Third Fleet was small, compared to other CDF fleets, but was just as decorated and recognized for their courage and valor in battle.

Captain Henry Casey Jr. has served aboard the _Acolyte_ for nearly ten years, and has been in service with the CDF for a total of thirty years. He was ready for retirement, being at the age of fifty, but General Pepper has asked him to partake in this one last mission before he can retire. Even though he was reluctant to agree to do so, he decided that he should at least complete one more mission before returning to his wife and kids. Besides, his father was to the aged blood hound, and Pepper saw Henry's father in him, a compliment that almost brought the cheetah to tears. Why not one more favor for his father's best friend and his mentor?

Henry let out a tried sigh and leaned back in his chair. Besides the other thirty-six ships (plus the _Acolyte_ ) under his command, there was the matter of keeping a watchful eye on the newly-formed Star Wolf. Even though Wolf O'Donnell was under strict CDF surveillance and command, Henry, along with the entire Lylat, couldn't help but feel that she should be imprisoned for life. Instead, General Pepper had several of the charges against her dropped, a lesser sentence given, and last but not least, a seven-year probation. Everyone in the Lylat went into an uproar at the news of Wolf O'Donnell being allowed to walk free. And now, the ex-rogue mercenary commandeered an old, beat up blockade runner, and led three CDF recruits as her new Star Wolf team. In addition, two Star Fox members were selected, by Wolf, to be on the team. Despite that, Casey and everyone else in the Lylat were not put to ease.

"Sir! We've picked up something on the scanners!" one of the deck crew announced.

Casey sat up, now fully alert and ready, and straightened out his uniform. "Where is it?" he asked.

The one who spoke up, the navigator, was silent for a moment, then replied, "Ten klicks off our port bow, bearing zero-nine-seven at...zero knots, sir."

"Any signs of activity?" Casey rose to his feet.

The navigator shook his head. "Negative. sir. The ship seems to be...hang on. I think I've got something." He held an earpiece from his headphones closer to his ear, then turned to Casey. "It's a distress signal, sir."

"How recent?"

"Checking...five days old sir."

"Patch it through, and broadcast it to the rest of the fleet," Casey said quickly.

"Yes sir." The navigator turned back to his station, pressed a series of buttons, and took off his headphone. A blue screen popped up in front of the main viewport of the bridge, before it materialized into a video recording, revealing a mysterious creature that no one had ever seen before. To everyone's surprise, this creature spoke Cornerian Common, and they appeared to be distressed:

" _We don't have much time left before they break through_ ," they said over their shoulder. Wherever they were, it was dimly lit by the red glow from the emergency lighting. There were also several more of the beings, all having different faces, colors, and body shapes, and they were all taking what appeared to be a 'last stand' stance. " _My name is Captain Eddie Smith of the USS Einstein, and we have been boarded by unknown hostiles. If there are any friendly ships nearby, and you get this, we need immediate assistance_."

Everyone, including Casey, had grim, sad faces as they listened. A muffled bang followed by an explosion caused the captain in the recording to turn to the left. They cursed and pulled something from their right hip and took aim with it. Yellow flashes came from the object and the top of it slid back, ejecting brass pieces from it. " _There getting through!_ " one of the other creatures in the background shouted frantically.

" _Hold out for as long as you can!_ " the captain shouted as they took aim again and fired. A roar of pain came from off-screen, one of which that Casey recognized as a Venomian soldier. To add to his suspicions, red laser bolts came from the left, another hint to the ones responsible for the attack on this newly discovered species. " _Keep firing!_ " A scream was heard in the background and a body flew through the air like a ragdoll. " _Do not let them take the bridge, people! Keep them at-_ " A large explosion was heard and the entire screen cut out to static.

The bridge fell silent and all hands looked to Casey for their next set of orders. The cheetah was silently and grimly processing what he had just witnessed. On one hand, there was the discovery of an entirely new intelligent alien species. On the other, there was the growing suspicion that Venom was behind the attack on that ship. He pondered on what he was supposed to do next, and he quickly came to a decision. Turning to crew in charge of the comms, he said, "Get word out to General Pepper immediately. And while you're at it, send a call to both Star Wolf and Star Fox. I have a feeling that we'll need them for when we search that ship." He then turned to a female dingo, the one in charge of managing search-and-rescue ops. "Get Sergeant Phoenix and her team ready for launch. We are going to see if there are any survivors."

The dingo nodded and departed from the bridge, which had now burst to life from the issued orders. Despite what he said to the ops manager, Casey knew that the likelihood of finding survivors, especially after an attack by Venom, was very slim to none. Then there was the matter of calling Star Wolf. He silently cursed and slid solemnly into his seat and sighed, rubbing his temple with one hand. "I better not regret this," he said to himself.

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 **So...how'd you like it? So much better than the other one, huh? Well, stay tuned for more updates hopefully coming soon! Thanks for being patient y'all.**

 **Phantom out.**


	3. Chapter 2: Contact Part 1

**Here it is ladies and gentleman! The next chapter! Whew! I had a tough time typing this up. Had to edit a little here and there...plus school and the BF5 Pacific update had me a bit preoccupied. Hope you enjoy this!**

 **P.S. I used Grammarly to edit parts of this too. Really helpful. :)**

 **P.P.S. Happy Halloween folks!**

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Chapter 2: Contact Part 1

Wolf O'Donnell, rogue mercenary extraordinaire, notorious for her unforgiving and intolerant nature, is now a guinea pig for the CDF, serving as a 'licensed mercenary' for none other than General Pepper himself.

Wolf was just a normal lupine, with a grey coat of fur, white underbelly fur that ran from her muzzle just below her stomach, a bushy tail, short pointed ears, and a mane of fur that acted as hair and was pulled back into a ponytail. She also wore an eyepatch over one of her red-violet eyes, which was a grim reminder of a past she has tried so desperately to forget. Wolf wore a purple vest, a pair of dark grey pants, a black tank top that reached just above her stomach, revealing a generous amount of her midriff. Her figure was curved with wide hips, large breasts, and a healthy plump rear. If it weren't for her past reputation, she would've been laid by now.

Now, as a mercenary under the supervision of the CDF, this was her only chance to right all the wrongs she has ever done.

Since Star Wolf was allowed to be reinstated and continued, General Pepper gave Wolf a handful of CDF recruits, fresh from the academy, to fill in the missing slots left by Panther, Leo, and Andrew. Wolf rejected all but three females, and enlisted, with permission, the help of Miyu and Fay. A lot of Cornerians were still upset that O'Donnell was allowed to walk free, and now that she's recruiting CDF cadets and Star Fox members to do her dirty work, a lot of civil unrest had fallen upon the entire planet and Lylat System where several things have happened as a result, including an assassination attempt on O'Donnell herself; the offender was eventually apprehended, tried, and put in prison. The recruits were not entirely happy about the fact that they were working for the 'Terror of Corneria', but at least Miyu and Fay were there to keep an eye on her. They were also surprised that she would pick them out of all the thirty cadets who graduated in their class. What was their significance to her?

Regardless, Wolf had chosen her team and was ready to begin her new career. The only problem was that she no longer had a ship to operate from (not that she had one, to begin with). To solve this, General Pepper ordered the CDF to provide Wolf with a ship for her base of operations. Despite his direct orders, half of the naval commanders under his command were either demoted or suspended because they instead gave Wolf an old, beat up blockade-runner. Rather than being upset, Wolf surprised everyone by gladly accepting her ship (but on the inside, she was curled up on the floor of her conscience trying not to cry).

Wolf was currently in the ship's cargo bay, which was rather large in contrast to the actual ship and could serve as a makeshift hangar, deploying the team's fighters from a series of rafters above. The rafters were a series of catwalks with gaps large enough for the Arwings and one Wolfen to be stored. O'Donnell was trying to buff out some dents her Wolfen suffered from recent 'job opportunities' where several times she was almost blown up by intentional friendly-fire from CDF anti-air. The commanders in charge of those ships and their AA batteries dismissed the accusations, but since this 'incident' had occurred more than enough times to be not an accident, and the fact that there was supporting evidence against them, the commanders were removed from their positions by Pepper effective immediately. He declared that the CDF was to assist Wolf O'Donnell and cooperate with her, not find inexcusable excuses to kill her. He also stated that, should anyone willingly disobey these orders, they would be discharged from the service.

With Pepper watching her back and her every move, Wolf didn't have much to do besides sit around and be lazy all day. Or in this case, working on her battered Wolfen. The lupine sat on the nose of the aircraft, wiping the glass canopy to clear it of smudges and scorch marks it obtained in the past twelve years she's had it. She didn't do 'calm and peaceful', so to break the silence, she played some music from a weak signal intercepted from deep space. It wasn't that different from Cornerian music, and it was just as catchy. One of her personal favorites was "C'mon, C'mon" by Go Betty Go, and it was the first song to catch her attention. She didn't think much of the 'signal from space', and instead focused on her problems and whatnot.

The hangar was filled with the heavy guitar solo of a song from a band called AC/DC. The song, however, was cut short, much to Wolf's frustration. She grabbed her cleaning supplies and jumped off the Wolfen, landing on the catwalks with a grunt. Putting down the bottle of window cleaner and the roll of paper towels, Wolf walked over to the console and tried to bring back her song, only to be met with the face of the last person she wanted to see.

"Fox McCloud," she sneered with malice. "What do you want?"

The vulpine kept a straight face and said, "Enough of that, Wolf. General Pepper wants both our teams for this."

"Are we getting paid?" Wolf asked, wiping her paws on the sides of her pants.

Fox rolled her eyes, but replied, "Yes, we are. And in case you were wondering how much, it's fifty-thousand credits per team member."

"What's the occasion, Miss Know-It-All?"

"Captain Casey of the Third Fleet discovered a ship of unknown origin on the edge of the system. He claims that it was attacked by Venom."

Wolf stiffened and her sneer was wiped off her face. "But...but I thought they were gone? Kaput. Does this, Casey, have any proof?"

Fox nodded. "Yes, yes he does. It also shows us who Venom attacked. But first, you have to come aboard the Acolyte, Captain Casey's ship. We'll know more from there. And bring everyone on your team as well. McCloud out."

The screen switched off, leaving an empty hangar and a silent, grim Wolf O'Donnell. Her mind processed the information she'd just received from Fox. If what Casey said was true, then Corneria might be dealing with a new Venom leader, as well as making first -contact with a new alien species. She scoffed at the first part. 'Please', she thought as she cleaned up her working space and put on her vest, not bothering to zip it up. 'If Venom was under new leadership, then I would've been the first to know about it'.

Despite General Pepper's strict monitoring of her activities, he failed to tap into her comms, which were still connected to the Venomian battle net. The only ones who know about this currently were her team. She didn't trust anybody else but herself and her team. She turned and walked away from the console, deliberately forgetting about her Wolfen as one thing dominated her thoughts: money.

Fifty-thousand credits per team member for both Star Fox and Star Wolf. O'Donnell saw this as an opportunity to finally get some stuff done around the Radiance, such as new updated equipment, some defensive weaponry as well as offensive, and maybe, just maybe, a new fighter to replace her old Wolfen.

The CDF was constantly coming out with new tech and gear, including a state-of-the-art fighter prototype that was expected to be on the frontlines in a few days. Wolf wanted one of those older, but reliable, craft that was still in service today. She'd customize it to fit her personal preferences, and probably make a few tweaks to upgrade its performance.

Lost in her train of thought, Wolf didn't notice Fay rounding a corner and the two canids collided. "Oh!" Fay exclaimed. "I-I didn't see you there. Sorry." The white spaniel turned a beet-red as she nervously fiddled with her paws, eyes fixed on the grated floor. Wolf had always found Fay's shy nature amusing and somewhat adorable. But in the thick of battle, Fay proved herself to be an excellent pilot and marksman.

Wolf smiled kindly and pat Fay on the shoulder, then gestured for her to follow. "Don't worry about it. Come on; we've finally got a job to do. Fox just called in and said that some CDF captain found an 'unknown ship' that was supposedly attacked by Venom."

Fay's eyes widened slightly. "Really? But I thought-"

Wolf cut her off. "I thought they were gone for good too, but they're not. Let's talk to the team about this before we get into too much thought about it."

Fay nodded. "Okay. What do you think they'll say?"

Wolf shrugged. "Who knows? But I do know that they'll agree to this job once I tell them how much we're getting paid for it."

"How much are we getting paid?" Fay asked.

* * *

"Fifty-thousand credits?!" Sylvia Blackwood, a German Shepherd, exclaimed in surprise. "For each team member? That's...that's unbelievable. Are you sure that's what Fox told you?"

Wolf sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes," she replied with slight annoyance. "I am sure."

"So let me get this straight," cut in Anya, a serval, "we're going to an abandoned alien ship and boarding it?"

Wolf shook her head. "No, no, no! You don't understand. Fox McCloud said that we'll know more once we get aboard the Acolyte. Please don't ask any more questions about it because I don't know anything except for the fact that Venom might be behind the attack."

"Do you think that they're back now?" Miyu inquired. "That they're under new leadership?"

Wolf shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't gotten anything from my 'mole' here." She indicated to her wrist comm. "But I have a hunch that they are under new leadership. I could be wrong, though."

"So," Sylvia crossed her arms under her chest. "When do we leave?"

Wolf smirked and said, "Right now."

* * *

As the Third Fleet prepared to launch a search-and-rescue team, the USS Einstein drifted in the empty vacuum of space, the barren, stricken hull rolling on its axis at a constant rate of ten-degrees-per-hour. The Acolyte had scanned the ship and found that a single life form was on the ship, but a vital-signs scan showed that there was a significant decrease in its food and water intake; two or three more days after the CDF showed up and it would have died. Good thing that never happened and the CDF showed up when they did. Casey deployed SFC Fara Phoenix as head of the rescue team. Fox and Wolf would provide back-up if Fara's team needed it.

While all this was happening, the last remaining survivor aboard the Einstein, James Beckham Hayes, roamed the halls of the once-bustling wreck that was once his home away from home. James had survived the attack of lizards and apes through craftsmanship, wit, and the vents of the ship. One by one, he picked them off, until they decided to leave what they deemed as a haunted ship. He cremated the bodies of the Einstein crew, but jettisoned the attackers out the airlock; they had no honor in attacking a civilian ship, and therefore didn't deserve a proper sendoff. He also found a recording the captain had made before he was taken captive by the attackers. It was damaged, but James managed to clean it up and send it out via the USS Einstein's long-range transmitter in hopes of help arriving soon.

The attack damaged the main power unit, and despite James and Tim's efforts to fix it, they were only able to restore about twenty-five-percent of the normal energy output. That, plus the auxiliary, only added up to forty-five-percent effectiveness. The food dispensers, refrigerators, coolers, freezers, etc., all ran on the main power and did not work below seventy-five-percent. Soon, the frozen meat would thaw out and become rotten, so James had to be careful of opening the freezers and refrigerators to keep the cold in as much as possible. The A/C units were offline as well, and only the heater worked. But with space being cold all the time, the ship was nice and warm and cozy enough to keep James from freezing to death. The water still ran, and with the food starting to go bad after five days, James was stuck with MREs and mild constipation.

James spent the majority of the five days in the simulators, developing his fighting and piloting skills to have a better chance against the ones that attacked his ship and killed the entire crew, just in case they ever came back. He became pretty handy with a gun; in fact, he was skilled with sidearms, rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and shotguns, as well as hand-to-hand combat; armed and unarmed. His flying skills were so-so, with over three-hundred kills to four-hundred-seventy-one deaths, an accuracy of forty-three-percent, and a crash rate of fifty-two-percent. 'Not bad for a rookie', he thought to himself, one day after a round in the flight simulator.

Then, on the fifth and final day, James was working out in the ship's gym when he noticed a huge fleet of blue and white ships approaching the Einstein and nearly tripped and fell off the treadmill.

He got dressed into his engineer uniform, attached a holster for a sidearm to his right thigh and placed an AS-95 Tactical Handgun into it, and prepared for whatever could happen next. Tim, his drone companion, had attached himself to James's back and James wore him like a backpack (there was a special ledge on certain uniforms that allowed certain droids to latch themselves to). All James had to do now was to wait for whoever was out there to board and see if they were friendly or hostile; he hoped it was the former.

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 **How are y'all enjoying this so far? Please R &R. I appreciate the good words from all of you people.**

 **P.S. My family suffered another blow this year. A couple months ago, my great grandmother passed away at the age of eighty-something (probably 85, but I can't remember). This loss was a bit different, but it was still hard on me and my family all the same. Anyways, I'm feeling better, but I'm also really slow on updates because, well, _school_.**

 **Phantom out.**


	4. Chapter 3: Contact Part 2

**Here's chapter 3. Finally had some time to get this out there. Again, I used Grammarly; super helpful.**

 **I would also like to have your feedback on some stories that are currently on my mind. I'll have a poll up and running soon, so give me your opinion there.**

 **Let me know personally via reviews or PMs. Looking forward to y'all's feedback.**

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Chapter 3: Contact Part 2

Sergeant First Class Fara Phoenix anxiously tapped her foot on the floor of the dropship, deep in thought. She was worried, anxious, and downright nervous. She had seen the video that was sent and shown to the entire Third Fleet and, to say the very least, she was shocked. The fact that Venom was still alive and wreaking havoc shocked everyone, but Fara was more so when she found that whoever was attacked was a whole new species of an intelligent alien species. She felt bad for the people on the...whatever the ship was called. They were unprepared and outgunned by the Venomian forces, but at least they didn't go down without a fight. Whoever was left on that ship jettisoned all the Venomian bodies, and one of the patrols counted 157 dead; Fara silently rejoiced at the enemy's body count.

Fara was a fennec fox, about thirty-years-old, and was single. Being active duty military and an NCO (non-commissioned officer), Fara didn't want to take the time to find her 'significant other'. She liked her job, more or less, but sometimes her subordinates and team would get on her nerves. She had a rather curvaceous figure that was further accented by her tight combat suit. Her large breasts made it difficult for her to zip and unzip the vest and shirt, as well as putting on a bra. A lot of the guys in the CDF, on the Acolyte, and on her team, would call her out and remind her, begrudgingly, that she was on hot, sexy vixen.

"Sergeant? Are you all right?" Fara looked up at one of the newest additions to her team, a young female maned wolf. "You seem a little nervous."

Fara smiled at the recruit. "Don't worry about me kid. We're all a little nervous here. We're about to board an alien ship, so I guess that's a good reason to be nervous."

"Do ya think there's anyone on it, Sarge?" a male panther asked in a slight Southern drawl.

"There is. But they're slowly dying from lack of food and water," Fara replied. "Luckily for them, we're going to save them before they do."

"What does the alien look like?" the maned wolf asked.

Fara shrugged. "We'll find out eventually." **  
**

The dropship entered the wrecked hangar of the alien ship, slowing down its approach and landing gracefully in an open spot cleared of any strewn equipment. The back hatch opened and lowered to the hangar floor and Fara's team poured out and secured a perimeter around the dropship. Fara then signaled the team to move out and they cautiously followed her through the hangar that was filled with the strange-looking craft. The majority of the machines were large and bulky, with large engines and a payload that was enough to take out an entire small village, and were either painted in a dull grey or an olive drab color. Some other crafts were smaller and more streamlined, appearing to be fighters with swept or straight wings, and tons of ordnance strewn across the hangar floor.

Fara and her team were awed at the sight but later refocused themselves on the current mission at hand. They soon left the hangar behind and entered the empty, desolate corridors of the ship, where they found numerous telltale signs of a fight that had occurred before their arrival. "Plasma scoring," Fara declared, inspecting the scorch marks on the walls and floor. "Venomian weapons too." She turned to her team. "They are definitely behind this. Let's head to the bridge and see if we can find anything else there."

* * *

Nothing. They found absolutely nothing on the bridge save for the plasma scoring from before, some pools of dried blood, and oddly-shaped brass pieces that smelled faintly of gunpowder. Fara tried to turn on the main console monitor but with no luck. Venom shot up the entire system. But the maned wolf, Private Mara, discovered that someone had very recently been up here and took some needed parts from the consoles. The team left the bridge and explored the rest of the ship, where they encountered their first alien muzak; it was not that dissimilar from their own. They found the engine room, which was the largest part of the ship; the reactor, which had been completely disabled, possibly during the attack; the cafeteria; a simulator; then, finally, the Sublevel Deck, aka the guts of the ship itself.

"Ugh," groaned Mackenzie, the panther. "This place stinks and gives me the creeps. What is this exactly?"

"Cut the chatter, Mackenzie," Fara ordered, holding up her paw in a fist to halt the team. "I thought I heard something." They fell silent and listened; nothing but the hissing of steam and the creaking of the ship reached their ears.

Mackenzie gulped and began, "It's probably-"

Crash!

Fara and her team primed their weapons and aimed towards the source of the noise. "Hello? Is anyone there? Show yourself!" Fara shouted. "Mara," she called over her shoulder, "with me. The rest of you split up into equal groups and search for whoever is here. Keep your eyes peeled and blasters ready. We don't know if this alien is a friend or a foe. Move out."

* * *

"...The rest of you split up into equal groups and search for whoever is here. Keep your eyes peeled and blasters ready. We don't know if this alien if friend or foe. Move out." The heavy thumping of boots echoed in the halls of the Einstein's bowels and soon faded in the distance. James hid in the maintenance corridors below, waiting for the intruders to leave. Once he was sure they were gone, he carefully pushed a panel up from the floor and slid it open, allowing him to pull himself out of the restricting and claustrophobic maintenance corridor. He crouched low and slid the panel back into place, then looked around for any sign of the intruders. Finding none, he started in the direction that the fox-looking thing ran off with another canid creature. If he were to show himself to these aliens, then he would have to start small with the two that were by themselves together.

He slowed his pace to a walk and took care to take as light a step as possible, so he wouldn't give himself away sooner than he wanted to. But despite his best efforts, the boots he wore, along with the weight of Tim on his back, clanked on the grated floor. "So much for stealth," he said to himself. Tim shuddered at the nearly-empty silence, and James would jump now and then at the occasional hiss of steam. Then, he heard voices, and he stopped at the corner and poked his head around it.

He had found the duo, and up close, they were way more than what he was expecting: the leader was a big-eared, bushy-tailed animal of some sort, and they were talking to what looked to be a maned wolf, judging by the fur coloring and markings. Both 'aliens' were female, as the suits they wore brought out their curved figures, including the chest and rear. James found himself staring longer than he was supposed to and he shook his head before ducking back into cover around the corner.

It was then that he realized that there was no longer any weight on his back. Panicking, he frantically searched for Tim. He found the mischievous droid, but was horrified to see him approaching the two aliens from behind. Without thinking, he jumped out of his hiding place and tackled Tim to the floor in which the resulting struggle brought the aliens' attention to him and Tim.

James was finally able to subdue the robot and hold it, with some difficulty, under his left arm. He stood up straight and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, hello." He gave them a little wave, which they returned with a smile on each of their muzzles. "I'm...I'm James," he said nervously. "I'm an engineer and...and the last survivor." His body was quaking with fear, and he could barely concentrate. Tim squirmed under his arm but a swift fist to the top of his dome kept him quiet.

"Hello James," said the big-eared, dog...fox thing said, putting away her weapon and extending a hand-paw towards him. "I'm Fara, Fara Phoenix."

James hesitantly accepted the handshake, but 'Fara's' friendliness towards him helped ease his tense nerves. "Sorry about Tim here," he gestured to the robot under his arm. "He's been nothing but trouble ever since I reprogrammed him. I thought he was going to attack you and-" Tim let out a mechanical growl and several frustrated beeps, which earned him another smack to the dome. "Well, as you can see he's a bit temperamental. I don't know how he feels about all of you being on our ship."

Fara and the other alien smiled and let out small chuckles. "He does seem to be quite a handful for you, James. And it's no trouble at all." She indicated the maned wolf next to her. "This is Private Mara. She's new to my team." James greeted and shook hands with her. "She also specializes in engineering, as well as the medical field." She looked him up and down. "Say, for an alien, you have a pretty normal-sounding name."

"Heh," James lightly scoffed in amusement. "Yeah." He thought for a moment, then said, "If it's not too much trouble, what exactly are you?"

Fara smiled. "Of course not. Simply put, we're Cornerians. I'm a fennec fox and Mara here is a maned wolf."

"Ah," James said, nodding in understanding. "Well, the reason I asked was, on my planet, we have wildlife that is similar in appearance and name. For example, we have foxes, wolves, bears, lions, tigers, birds, dogs, cats, and so on."

"What's the difference? If there is any," Mara asked.

"They're feral; they don't walk on two legs, talk, nor do they have the same...body shape you Cornerians have."

Tim chose this moment to finally slip from James's grasp, only to be zapped and fall to the ground with a dull, metallic thud. James turned around and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun pointed directly in his face. On instinct, he put his hands up in the air. The gun belonged to a busty and curvaceous female wolf clad in clothing that was way too tight for her. Behind her, were similarly structured female 'Cornerians', and he identified them as a German Shepherd, a white Spaniel, a lynx, a coyote, a Siberian Husky, and a serval. Excluding the Spaniel, they all wore tight clothing as well. And all James could think about as he raised his hands in the air was 'Seriously? What's with the women here?'

"Well, well, well," said the wolf, her one red eye looking him up and down. "I didn't expect the alien to be so...not ugly." She tilted her head and said to Fara, "Is this guy bothering you girls?"

Both Fara and Mara shook their heads. The wolf softly scoffed, not in doubt, but amazement. "Huh." She switched her gaze to James. "And here I thought…" She put her gun away on her hip and extended a gloved paw towards him, a smirk plastered on her muzzle. "Sorry for the misunderstanding. Name's O'Donnell, Wolf O'Donnell." James lowered his hands and accepted the handshake. "I'm a mercenary." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "That's my crew. I see you've already made acquaintances with Fara and one of her newbies. Speaking of which," she looked to Fara and said, "Hey Phoenix! Where's the rest of your team?"

Fara visibly stiffened and had a panicked look on her face before she immediately brought her wrist up to her mouth and spoke into it. "Mackenzie! Henderson! Report!"

A moment's silence followed before it was broken by a heavily Southern-accented voice came from the device on Fara's wrist. "Read ya loud and clear, boss. What's the trouble?"

Fara let out a sigh of relief. " Negative. But I have made first contact with one of the survivors on board. We'll rendezvous in the hangar at the dropship and get out of here."

"Roger that, boss. Mackenzie out." Fara let out a sigh and dropped her arm to her side, then looked up at the alien named James, who was currently engaged in conversation with Wolf O'Donnell and her team. This surprised her, as she took Wolf to not be the social type. 'Guess I was wrong' she thought to herself.

"Alright everyone," she said, gaining everybody's attention. "We found our objective, _alive,_ no less, and it's time for us to get out of here." She looked to James. "You're going to have to come with us I'm afraid. Can't leave you here to starve on a ghost ship."

James nodded. "I understand Ms. Phoenix. Lead the way."

* * *

 **So, just a little side note; I got my braces in last Friday, and they suck. It's like something I can't describe because I am not great with analogies, but in short, they feel like a cage or something similar was jammed into my mouth and I want to get them out but I can't. *Sigh* Well, I have to wait at least eighteen months before I can get them taken out.**

 **But I do have some good news. Around June or so of 2020, I'll be able to have a computer of my own. It's a graduation present from my parents supposedly. But's I can't get my hopes up high just yet. I have to wait until next year, so yeah. Just a head's up.**


	5. Chapter 4: Settled In

**Alright. Final edit for this chapter. Two days have passed since the attack, not two months or weeks. Chapter 5 will be out soon, hopefully. And it's going to be looooooong.**

* * *

 _Two days later..._

On the _Radiance_ , Wolf lay sprawled out on her bed in nothing but her underwear and bra. Even though she barely did anything during the day to warrant her exhausted, she felt exactly that. But despite feeling tired, she couldn't cook up the desire to fall asleep. Instead, her mind ran rampant and bombarded her with questions regarding the alien that called itself 'James'. It, or rather 'he', was very...strange for lack of a better term. He was flat-faced with no muzzle of any kind. No fur covering his body save for the messy brown mop on the top of his head and the short stubs that dotted his jawline and around his mouth. Speaking of mouths, the majority of his teeth were either flat or dull, particularly his canines which were not as long or pointed as hers were. Then there was his body. It wasn't athletic or big, but it wasn't sticklike either. But it was really hard to tell with that bulky jumpsuit he wore as clothing. Other than that, James seemed pretty monotonous in Wolf's eyes, er, eye.

The lupine let out a sigh and rolled onto her side. Resting on her nightstand and collecting dust was a picture of a pair of wolves with a pup. On the right was a male and on the left was a female. In the middle, in the female's arms, was the pup, with one bright violet-red eye and one dull grey eye. Wolf stared longingly at the photo of her long-dead parents, wishing they were here. They died when she was barely seven months old. She only knew them through words from other people and the photos she found in the ruins of her old home. Other than that, they were complete strangers to her and everything else was a blur. Ever since their deaths, Wolf bounced from one orphanage to the next; unwanted, unloved; an outcast to the other orphans. She was made fun of for her heterochromatic eyes, and at one point she tried to scratch one of them out. But it backfired and left her scarred for life.

Her treatment by the other orphans, as well as the kids at school and the cadets at the military academy, led to her current bitter, hot-tempered self before she finally became a mercenary working for the highest seller; Venom just so happened to be exactly that. However, after her capture and then being placed on probation two years ago, Wolf had had time to collect and reform herself, and attempted to help others amidst hateful death glares and a lingering guilty conscience. She felt satisfied, if only a little, when she performed good deeds. But she still felt empty for some reason. And despite her hating every single person who so much as looks her way, she couldn't shake the longing desire for a mate. Speaking of which…

Wolf sat up and slid off the bed onto her feet and walked over to her dresser where her wrist-comm lay charging. She picked it up and switched it on, and a dim blue light emitted from the display as she swiped through it until she stopped at the calendar. She clicked on the current date, Monday, and cursed as she read the following text:

 _Heat cycle begins._

She unplugged the device and slapped it onto her left arm. She then got dressed, putting on a clean, plain black t-shirt, grey pants, and her boots. Then she grabbed her eye patch from the top of the dresser and her vest and gloves from the floor and stormed out of the bedroom. She made her way up to the bridge where the rest of her team went about performing their deck-duties. Miyu, Wolf's unofficial second-in-command, was the first to spot and greet her. "Morning, Wolf. How was your power nap?" Wolf only replied with a grunt and sat down in her 'captain's chair' at the helm. "That bad huh? Say, uh, when are we going back to Corneria and take some leave and restock? Our last mission kind of left us dry of any supplies."

"We're going back right now," Wolf finally said without looking at Miyu. She then fired up the engine to full power and entered the jump coordinates for Corneria. "Everyone better sit their butts down 'cause this is going to be a bumpy ride." They did as she said, taking their seats on the bridge and strapping themselves in. "Ready?" They nodded, even though Wolf couldn't see them. "Jumping in 3...2...1...Mark." The _Radiance_ lurched forward and pushed everyone back in their seats as it ran at full forward thrust. Then everyone's field of vision became distorted and warped around them, the ship shuddering and creaking violently. A deafening rumble from behind them reached their ears and echoed before it ended as soon as it had started. Everyone, except for Wolf, unstrapped themselves from their seats and went about stretching their numb legs and arms before they looked out of the window at the lush blue and green planet of Corneria.

Wolf swiveled around in her chair and stood up, a hint of a smirk tainting her muzzle as she glanced at each of them. "Here you go, girls. We're home." A loud creak, followed by a metallic groan and an explosion, rattled the ship. Then the power went out, sending the bridge and its occupants into inky-black darkness. Wolf's smirk fell and she let out an annoyed huff. "You have got to be kidding me."

* * *

James gazed down at the family photo in his hands and let out a sad sigh. It's been six months since he'd last seen them, and he missed them deeply. He placed the frame down on the nightstand in front of him and thought aloud to himself. "I wonder if they've figured out I'm missing." He turned to the droid hovering next to him. "What do you think, Tim?" The droid shrugged with its wiry appendages. James sighed again and shook his head. "It's been two months since we were attacked, and we've been gone for longer than that. Surely the ESMC must have organized a search party to look for the USS _Einstein_ by now, right? It's standard procedure." Tim warbled and droned, beeped and whooped, before finishing off with a 'borp'. James chuckled and shook his head as he patted the top of the droid's head. "What would I do without you, old buddy?" With that, he rose to his feet, stretched with a noisy yawn, and left his room.

His stomach called out to him and his biological clock told him that it was near lunchtime. So he made his way down to the cafeteria of the James McCloud Air Field and Dockyard, passing by some soldiers that he had made quick friends with when he first arrived here. He was surprised with himself for making friends that fast, and for making friends in general. As mentioned before, he wasn't the social type, but for some reason, he was able to become just that when he met Fara's team. He wondered why he was able to interact with Cornerians, but not other humans, with little to no difficulty. But after dwelling long and hard on it, he gave up and let it slide. Regardless, he found his new friends rather enjoyable to be around with, and they him. So when he usually entered the mess hall and got his food, Fara and her squad and a few others would invite him to sit with them. They would chat and exchange stories about family and embarrassing moments in their lives. But today was different.

When James walked into the mess, he was shocked to find it nearly empty. The only other occupants inside besides himself were the cooks and, to his surprise, Wolf O'Donnell and her team. When he first met Wolf, which was at gunpoint, she immediately struck him as the lone-wolf - no pun intended - badass, but lonely and broken, type of person. Despite his years spent hiding away in some corner in class and avoiding other people, he learned how to read them with a single glance. And out of all the Cornerians that he's met, Wolf was the only one that stood out the most to him. James found this rather odd, but he gave up trying to figure out why and decided not to worry about it.

Said lupine hadn't noticed him enter the mess, nor had the rest of her team. So James made his way down to the food line, got his food, and sat down at the nearest table. As he was eating, he noticed that while the Star Wolf team all sat together giggling and gossiping with one another, Wolf sat by herself in one of the far tables in the corner. It reminded James of how he was in school and it brought a pang of sorrow to him as he watched her sit alone and pick at her food. After he swallowed a couple of bites and had some long, hard thinking, he set down his utensils on his plate and picked up his tray as he stood up and walked over to Wolf's table. She didn't look up at him until he had sat down, at which point she stopped playing with her food and stared at him quizzically. He gave her a nod before digging into the remains of his lunch.

"What are you doing here?" she said finally after an awkward moment of silence.

James waited until his mouth was no longer full of food, then replied, "Eating my food and sitting with you. What are you doing here?"

Wolf raised an eyebrow and tilted her head at him. "Think you're so funny, huh? What are you really doing here? Shouldn't you be screwing around with your new CDF buddies or something?"

James shrugged and said, "Not really. I'm just hungry, that's all."

"Uh-huh," she said with an unconvinced huff. "How does being 'just hungry' give you the right to sit with me? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I like being alone?"

"Well, I...no? I just thought that you could use the company and-"

"Well you thought wrong," she interjected sharply. She then leaned forward, narrowed her good eye at him, and said in a low tone. "Listen here, James. I don't do the whole friends thing, especially after what I've done. You are no exception. I'm not in the mood for any kind of small talk with anyone. So how about you either shut your alien mouth and eat quietly, or go sit with the goody-two-shoes gang that just so happens to be my team. Can you do that?"

James opened his mouth to protest but thought against it when Wolf's narrowed gaze narrowed further. Instead, he closed his mouth and simply nodded. "Good," Wolf said with satisfaction. "I'm glad we understand each other." A few seconds later, she sighed and added, "Look, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just feeling a little under the weather today and I don't feel like talking to anybody."

"I know the feeling," he said as he reached for his drink and took a sip from it.

Wolf's features softened and she straightened herself in her seat. "You know what? Forget what I said. Tell me a little about yourself and I'll tell you a little bit about me."

James set down the cup and raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Wolf scoffed and rolled her eye. "Of course I am. You think I'm going to miss out on the opportunity to talk with an alien that isn't trying to destroy the Lylat System for once? Heck no. You go first. Where are you from?"

James was silent for a moment as he carefully thought of what to say. When he made up his mind, he pushed his tray aside and began. But before he could, Miyu finally noticed them and called them out. "Wolf! James! Come on over and sit with us, would ya?"

James looked over at the female-dominant group and he felt his stomach drop slightly. He may have made friends with the majority of the base personnel stationed here, most of them being women, but seeing Miyu and the other three 'defined' Cornerian women made him slightly uneasy. Sitting with Wolf, however, helped put him at ease, if only slightly. He glanced at the lupine out the corner of his eye and found that she was hurriedly leaving the mess, abandoning her tray of untouched food completely. He returned his attention to Star Wolf, all whom's faces were either neutral or disappointed. Miyu turned to James and smiled sweetly at him and waved him over, but he remained where he was. He felt as if something was up; he felt it in his gut, aside from the queasy feeling already present there. He then stood up, grabbed his tray, and followed after Wolf. But not before dumping the cardboard tray and turning around and saying, "I'll be right back. I need to talk to her real quick." He disappeared as he rounded the corner, leaving Miyu and the gang perplexed and confused by what just happened.

* * *

Wolf cursed. She cursed and she cursed, over and over again as she paced up down the hall connecting the barracks to the mess facility. She hated running out on everyone like that, but she didn't want to stay any longer than she had to. With her heat starting to get the better of her and her medication starting to wear off, she couldn't risk 'going off' in public, least of all in a cafeteria. That, and because she didn't want to let anyone know of her 'condition' and get made fun of. Of course, why would her team, or James for that matter, make fun of her? The girls understand what she's going through, but what about James? Did humans even have a heat cycle? She stopped dead in her tracks as her eye widened in horror. Could he smell her giving off pheromones letting him know that she's ready to mate? The mere thought of it made her bite her nails in anxiety and worry. And to make matters worse:

"Wolf?" The lupine quickly whirled on the speaker, who unfortunately turned out to be James. He stood there several feet from her with a concerned expression on his bare, fleshy face. "Are you okay? Why'd you run off like that?"

Wolf gulped and thought hard on what to say without revealing too much. "I, uh, well, um...nothing. No reason whatsoever. I just needed some...air! I needed some air. Heh."

James tilted his head to the side and he slowly approached her. "Are you...blushing? What, are you embarrassed by something or-"

"I'm hot!" she blurted out before she covered her mouth.

James stopped and blinked once at her. "You mean...like you've got a fever?" She slid her hand down from her mouth and quickly nodded. She then tugged on her collar and James noticed a bit of steam come out from her neck area, as well as her fur becoming very damp-looking. "I guess that would explain it. Here, let me check your forehead and-"

He reached his hand towards her and she suddenly smacked it away. Both of them appeared stunned at what she did. Even she was shocked and was looking at her hand in disbelief. She snapped out of it with a shake of her head and said, "No! I mean," she cleared her throat. "No. Please. I don't like anybody touching me, even if it's to take my temperature or whatever." She took a step back as she held the hand she used to smack James with. "Just, stay back."

James put his hands up and took several steps back. "Alright. Is this better?" She nodded. "Okay." He lowered his hands and placed them in his pockets. "Are you sure you're alright? You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'm fine," she said with a slight growl. She realized her mistake and quickly corrected it. "I mean, I'm fine. As I said, I'm feeling a little under the weather." She tugged on her collar again, though as she did, her tongue rolled out and she started panting loudly. "Is it just me or is it, like, really hot in here?"

James shrugged. "I think it's nice. Do you need that heavy vest on? That might be the problem."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Wolf unzipped her vest and took it off. James's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull when he saw the amount of cleavage that showed in the black v-neck she wore. "Here. Catch." James quickly shook his head just in time to catch the heavy leather vest in his arms with a light grunt.

"Oof. This does have little weight to it. What'd you put in it? Titanium?"

Wolf let out a dry laugh. "Don't kid yourself, James. It's just got some reinforced fabric and leather in it. My custom design." She waved her hand in a vain effort to cool herself off, but to no avail. "Damn. It didn't...*pant, pant*...work."

"Why don't we go outside?" James suggested as he adjusted the vest in his arms. "It's a lot cooler out there than it is in here. That might help."

Wolf nodded as her breaths increased in frequency. "Yeah. Sure. Let's go." James led the way with a panting Wolf O'Donnell following and stumbling along behind him. She had to use the walls as support to keep herself from falling flat on the floor, and only twice did she have to be helped by James before she brushed him off and kept walking. Finally, they reached a door that led outside and Wolf pushed past James and burst out the door into the cool afternoon autumn air. Immediately, the crisp breeze picked up and blasted Wolf and she let out a sigh of relief as she felt her body cool down slightly. "Ahh." She sat down on a bench, her breasts - now free from the restrictions of the vest - bounced vigorously from the impact. James suddenly found the city on the horizon interesting as he sat down next to her, careful to give her her space. "Much better. Thanks."

James nodded and set the vest down next to him. "Sure. No problem." He looked over at her, the extra bit of gray and white fur on the top of her head that was tied up in a ponytail waved meekly in the growing breeze. Her one red-violet eye stared at the city on the other side of the barbed-wire fence in the distance and sighed through her nose, her tongue now contained in her muzzle and her panting reduced to normal breathing. "That was something, wasn't it?" he said, looking away and following her gaze.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. That was something. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. It's nice out."

"Yeah. It kind of is. Sure beats the weather down in Florida."

Wolf turned to him quizzically. "Florida? What's that?"

"It's where I'm from. It's one of the fifty states of the United States of America. It's known for its beaches and all that."

"So, are you going to tell me what the 'United State of America' is? Or are you going to leave me in the dark?" she said with a hint of light humor.

James looked over at her with a slight smirk. "Maybe. It depends."

Wolf snorted. "On what? We're alone, and we can talk without anyone bothering us."

He shrugged. "Alright. You got me. I'll tell you everything, except for a few personal topics that I'd rather leave untold."

"Good enough for me. And ditto on that last part. I want to leave a couple things from my past stay in the past."

"I'll respect that," he said. Then he sighed "Where to begin? I suppose I should start from the beginning, right?" Wolf nodded. He let out a small chuckle. "Okay then. Well, I was born into a military family, and my dad was a decorated war hero..."


End file.
